As a new teacher, one of the resources I found most helpful in shaping my grading practices was Grant Wiggins’s advice on feedback and assessment. Meaningful feedback, he suggests, is much more than assigning a grade or even offering recommendations for improvement. Rather, meaningful feedback is descriptive, “play[ing] back” the student’s performance and connecting it to the learning outcomes of the course.

Students don’t always like working in groups. Ann Taylor, an associate professor of chemistry at Wabash College, had a class that was particularly vocal in their opposition. She asked for their top 10 reasons why students don’t want to work in groups and they offered this list (which I’ve edited slightly)

Expertly facilitated online discussion is the driving force for community in e-learning classes. Creating norms for discussion quality and timing improve the dialog. This also helps the facilitator step back as students learn to deepen their online dialog.

Special thanks to Kathy Hayden of Cal-State San Marcos for the many of the ideas behind ‘Value Added‘ response techniques. It’s always useful to mix up the types of responses you offer to your students (and peers) in an online discussion.

So how do you teach in this odd virtual space? How do you keep participants from descending into that peculiar passivity characteristic of conference calls? And how do you help students fight the constant temptation of momentarily clicking away from class? While virtual classes are not without challenges, there are, in fact, concrete steps you can take to run class sessions that are energetic, interactive, and productive.

Teaching online requires rethinking your teaching methods to achieve your instructional objectives in a new environment. The technology involved in teaching online will also present you with new options, as well as new limitations.

I recently enrolled in an online doctoral program and now find myself in the role of an online student and not just an online instructor. I have learned so much from being on the “other side of the screen.” Here are five essential things to consider as you build successful online learning opportunities for your students.